Practical RF / Microwave Design
12-16 July 2010
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me an email about the next Practical RF / Microwave Design course as I cannot make this date
What people say about the course
| "It was the best practical RF-related course that I have attended in over 30 years. Excellent course notes and very high calibre presenters." Mike Dunstan, Engineering Manager, Thales UK Limited |
| "Lots of good background info on all things RF" Eric Carty, Design Engineer, TDK Electronics |
| "A very good overview of the important aspects of RF / Microwave design with plenty of depth in the topics as well. Intensive but all relevant!" Helen Sandison, Antenna Engineer, SELEX Sensors and Airbourne Systems |
| "A very good overview of all design techniques in microwave design" Joe McManus, Design Engineer, Trak Microwave Ltd |
About the course
Due to the huge proliferation of wireless products, the use of RF system and sub-system elements is increasing. However, market
demands in many business sectors are forcing dramatic cuts in the product-to-market schedule and on unit costs.
One of the major
causes for RF projects running over budget or timescale projections is due to the prototype re-work phase, which arises from the
complex nature of RF design.
This intensive, five day course provides acceleration through the RF design learning curve by presenting a comprehensive
introduction to RF and microwave design theory, techniques and measurements.
Although the course includes the necessary
theoretical aspects, great emphasis is placed upon the practicalities of RF engineering.
Many of the lectures rely on the
use of live demonstrations involving test equipment and computer-based simulation tools to illustrate concepts. In addition,
the delegates will have several opportunities to use the AWR Microwave Office design suite and state-of-the-art measurement
instruments during the "hands-on" sessions of this course.
The course commences with an overview of the fundamental concepts
involved with the discipline and then goes on to present design methodologies for both passive and active RF and microwave
circuits. Common test and measurement issues are then addressed before dealing with the subject of antenna design.
The
presenters on the course are specialists drawn from both academia and industry, with a combined design experience of over
forty man-years.
CAD software provided by AWR Corporation.
Click here to download the free trial version.
Who is it for?
- Design engineers and technical managers wanting to gain an overview of RF/microwave engineering principles.
- Designers and those with some RF experience but little formal training who wish to broaden their design skill base.
- Baseband and signal processing designers who need to be aware of RF issues.
Benefits
- Acceleration through the RF/MW learning curve.
- RF theory supported by numerous demonstrations, case studies and examples.
- Group size limited to 18 delegates to maintain an intimate delegate to instructor ratio.
- Opportunity to discuss specific engineering applications with the speakers.
- Hands-on use of industry standard RF test equipment.
- Hands-on use of AWR Microwave Office RF CAD Tool.
Course presenters
- Dr Peter Gardner, Senior Lecturer, Dept of Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Birmingham
- Andy Dearn, Senior Communications Technology Consultant, Plextek Ltd
- Graham Payne, Microwave Applications Consultant, Graham Payne Consulting
- Dr Yi Huang, Head of Wireless Communications and Engineering Group, University of Liverpool
Course content
Monday
Morning
- Microwave Overview - Peter Gardner
- Microwave - Peter Gardner
- The Smith Chart, Matching - Peter Gardner
- Scattering Parameters - Peter Gardner
Afternoon
- Introduction to RF/Microwave CAD Design - Peter Gardner
This 3-hour session reinforces the concepts presented in the morning sessions
by giving the delegates access to the AWR Microwave Office Design Suite.
A structured
set of practice materials includes the following CAD design exercises: transmission
line analysis and synthesis, lumped component performance at RF due to parasitics,
quarter wave transformers, attenuator design, design of one port matching networks.
The delegates can then explore the various aspects of the design exercises at
their own pace, during the three hour session.
Tuesday
Morning
- Striplines - Peter Gardner
- Passive Devices - Peter Gardner
- RF/Microwave Filter Design - Peter Gardner
Afternoon
- RF/Microwave CAD Design - Peter Gardner
A continuation of the CAD sessions from Day One. Additional CAD design exercises
include: lumped and lumped-distributed branchline and rat race coupler designs,
lumped element filter design (low pass, bandpass), distributed element filter
design (low pass, bandpass) to complement the morning sessions.
Wednesday
Morning
- RF Amplifier Design - Peter Gardner
- Designing with PIN Diodes - Peter Gardner
- Mixers - Peter Gardner
Afternoon
- RF/Microwave CAD Design - Peter Gardner
The final CAD session in which delegates will have the opportunity to complete
the outstanding exercises and also design a low noise, small signal amplifier.
- Oscillator Design - Andy Dearn
General Theory of RF/Microwave Oscillators; Introduction to Negative Resitance
Oscillators; Small Signal (Linear) Design Techniques; Large Signal (Non-linear)
Design Techniques; Practical Examples.
Thursday
Morning
- Phase Noise theory - Graham Payne
- Absolute and Residual Phase Noise - Graham Payne
- Direct Spectrum measurements - Graham Payne
- Mixers used as phase detectors - Graham Payne
- Phase lock loop measurement technique - Graham Payne
- Frequency Discriminator Technique - Graham Payne
- Advantages of Cross Correlation to system floor noise - Graham Payne
Afternoon
- Network Analysis I: Applications and capabilities of high frequency network
analysers - Graham Payne
- Network Analysis II: Accuracy enhancement and calibration of high frequency
network analysers - Graham Payne
- Network Analysis III: VNA Accuracy Enhancement - Graham Payne
Friday
Morning
- Unexpected Problems at High Frequencies - Yi Huang
- Radio Wave Propagation Fundamentals - Yi Huang
Afternoon
- RF/Microwave Antennas Analysis, Design and Measurements - Yi Huang
Venue
Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, Oxford
Certification
Delegates will receive a University of Oxford Certificate of Attendance.
Fee options
£1745 Course fee.
Register for this course and book our 1-day RF
PCB Design course for just £275.
Fees include course materials, tuition, refreshments and lunches. The price does not include accommodation.
All courses are VAT exempt.
How to apply
If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application
process before applying, please contact:
Emma Haslam (Course Administrator) - Tel: +44 (0)1865 286958 - Email: electronics@conted.ox.ac.uk
If you would like to pay using a company purchase order / bank transfer, please see the guidance notes below.
Guidance
Notes (important: please read before applying)
Terms
and Conditions (important: please read before applying)